Today’s Highlights:
Hamlet, directed by Sean Mathias, featuring Ian McKellen (in an age-blind interpretation of the young Prince), Ben Allen, Francesca Annis, Steven Berkoff, Emmanuella Cole, Llinos Daniel, Alis Wyn Davis, Ashley D Gayle, Nick Howard-Brown, Jonathan Hyde, Asif Khan, Lee Knight, Missy Malek, and Jenny Seagrove, opens at London’s Theatre Royal Windsor.
Hairspray, directed by Jack O’Brien, featuring Michael Ball (Edna Turnblad), Lizzie Bea (Tracy Turnblad), Les Dennis (Wilbur Turnblad), Jonny Amies (Link Larkin), Marisha Wallace (Motormouth Maybelle), Rita Simons (Velma Von Tussle), Georgia Anderson (Amber Von Tussle), Kimani Arthur (Inez), Dermot Canavan (Male Authority Figure), Lori Haley Fox (Female Authority Figure), with Mari McGinlay (Penny Pingleton) Ashley Samuels (Seaweed J Stubbs), Michael Vinsen (Corny Collings), Imogen Bailey (Shelly), and many more, opens at the London Coliseum.
Tales of the City, the Musical (2011 production), by Jake Shears, John Gordon & Jeff Whitty, directed by Jason Moore, featuring Betsy Wolfe (Mary Ann Singleton), Judy Kaye (Anna Madrigal), Wesley Taylor (Michael “Mouse” Tolliver), Mary Birdson (Mona Ramsey), Manoel Felciano (Norman Neal Williams), and Josh Breckenridge (Jon Fielding), with Keith A. Bearden, Jessica Coker, Kristoffer Cusick, Diane J. Findlay, Alex Hsu, Kimberly Jensen, Patrick Lane, Stuart Marland, Jeff McLean, Kathleen Elizabeth Monteleone, Pamela Myers, Julie Reiber, Andrew Samonsky, and Josh Walden, begins streaming at San Francisco’s A.C.T.
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GRACE NOTES Quiz: You Gotta Know the Lingo by Jim Bernhard:
What is the meaning of each of these theatrical terms?
1. French scene … A scene involving nudity…Section of a play between the entrance or exit of any character…Unintelligible dialogue in need of translation…Action that is explicitly erotic.
2. Tormentor … Prompter who is notoriously slow in giving cues…Malicious actor who delights in practical jokes onstage…Hard vertical piece of stage rigging attached to a horizontal piece known as a teaser…Audience member who talks on a cell phone.
3. The gods (chiefly British) … Critics for major newspapers…Living playwrights whose permission must be secured in order to change dialogue…Star performers who demand “worship” from other cast members…Highest balcony of a theatre.
4. Ghost light … Eerie green lighting effect to indicate the presence of a spirit in a scene …Light bulb that is left burning onstage during periods when the stage is not in use…Imaginary light that the electrician claims has been focused on an actor when in reality it has not…Brand name of theatrical lighting equipment.
5. Italian(noun) … Rehearsal at which the lines are said rapidly…Reference to any production by Franco Zeffirelli…Very stylish dance shoe…Theatrical equivalent of a “spaghetti western.”
6. Sitzprobe …. Medical procedure to relieve stress in dancers…Rehearsal technique in which the actors touch each other…In musical theatre, a rehearsal of the score with singers and orchestra, at which the actors are seated…Official inquiry into stagehands accused of sitting down on the job.
7. Swing … Role whose gender is ambiguous…Chorus member who covers many, or sometimes all, of the chorus parts and performs when the primary performer of that part is unable to go on…Performer who can do acrobatics while singing…Moving platform used by follow-spot operators.
8. Vomitorium … Offstage area provided for actors who become nauseated during a show…Backstage waste bin in which to deposit unfavorable reviews…Section of the auditorium reserved for small children who are likely to throw up…Passage from the stage that goes below a tier of seats.
9. Gobov…vGhost or goblin who inhabits a theatre…Stencil or template placed in front of a lighting source to control the shape of the beam emitted…Stock character in commedia dell’arte…Stage direction meaning “Go below,” to indicate a character is to fall through a trap door.
10. Passerelle … Walkway leading beyond the proscenium arch around the audience side of the orchestra pit…Bouqet presented to the leading lady…Corridor adjacent to the stage door that leads nowhere, into which bothersome autograph-seekers are directed…Actor who is noted for learning the lines of all the other actors.
Scroll down for the answers…
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Video: Stars in the House, a Hedwig and the Angry Inch reunion, with special guests Neil Patrick Harris and Lena Hall. (1:35:24)
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Keenan Scott II’s Thoughts of a Colored Man will run Oct. 1 – Mar. 20, 2022 (opening Oct. 31) at the Golden Theatre, directed by Steve H. Broadnax III.
Dyllón Burnside, Bryan Terrell Clark, Da’Vinchi, Luke James, forrest McClendon, and Keith David.
As the sun rises on a single day in the pulsing heart of Brooklyn, seven Black me are about to discover the extraordinary – together. The play blends spoken word, slam poetry, rhythm, and humor into a daringly universal play. Welcome to the vibrant inner life of being Black, proud, and thriving in the 21st century.
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Berkeley Rep (link TBA) has commissioned new works by:
* Jack Thorne and Nico Muhly will work on their musical adaption of Matt Ruff’s novel “Set This House in Order,” directed by John Tiffany, with choreography by Steven Hoggett.
* Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal — project TBA.
* Sarah Ruhl and Dipika Guha — project TBA.
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Theatre Aspen has announced is second Solo Flights one-person shows:
Give ‘Em Hell, Harry (July 23 & 24), by Samuel Gallu, directed by Hunter Foster, starring Fred Grandy.
Clean (Aug. 25 & 28), by Christine Quintana, directed by Melissa Crespo, starring Sarah Stiles.
A Good Day to Me Not to You (Aug. 26 & 29), written by & starring Lameece Issaq, directed by Lee Sunday Evans.
Token (Aug. 26 & 31), written by & starring Kaye Winks, directed by Schoen Smith.
Making Good (Aug. 27 & 31), by Stuart Slade, by Taylor Trensch, directed by Tyne Rafaeli, starring Taylor Trensch.
Esmeranda’s Gift (Or How To Make Crossword Puzzle and Solve Your Life), (Aug. 27 & 29), by Donna Hoke, directed by Hunter Foster, starring Sara Stiles.
The Noah Racey Project (Aug. 28 & 30), written by & starring Noah Racey, directed by Dick Scanlan.
A Shot Rang Out (Aug. 28 & 30), by Richard Greenberg, directed by Tony Taccone, starring David Ivers.
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The world premiere of Justin Tanner’s Minnesota will stream on Zoom June 26 – Aug. 1 at LA’s Rogue Machine, directed by Lisa James.
Justin Tanner
A writer pores through his diary entries in an attempt to discover what went wrong in his marriage.
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The Menier Chocolate Factory has announced its Fall 2021 season:
Indecent (Sept. 3 – Nov. 27, opening Sept. 13), by Paula Vogel, directed by Rebecca Taichman, featuring Alexandra Silber, Bevery Klein, Finbar Lynch, Molly Osborne, Peter Polycarpou, Joseph Timms, Merlin Shepherd, Ann Lowenstein, and Josh Middleton.
Brian & Roger – A Highly Offensive Play (begins Oct. 22), by Harry Peacock & Dan Skinner.
Habeas Corpus (Dec. 3 – Feb. 26, 2022), by Alan Bennett, directed by Patrick Marber.
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Abigail Browde & Michael Silverstone’s The Highwaymen’s A Thousand Ways, Part 1 (A Phone Call) and Part 2 (An Encounter) are available to stream at The Public Theater.
Click here for Part 1 (through July 18). Pick up the phone. Someone is on the line. You don’t know their name, and you still won’t when the hour is over, but through this exchange – as you follow a thread of automated prompts – a portrait of your partner will emerge through fleeting moments of exposure.
Click here for Part 2 (through Aug. 15). Your chance to reconsider what you think you know about a person – including yourself. Explore the lines between strangeness and kinship. distance, and proximity.
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Kyle Dean Massey will not return to Broadway’s Company when it re-starts this Fall, as he and husband Taylor Frey are expecting a child.
Massey’s replacement has not yet been announced.
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Allons Enfants! concert, featuring Steve Ross and Jean Brassard will take place Wed. July 14 at 8:30 PM at NYC’s Pangea.
Karen Akers and Stephanie Biddle
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Beverly Hills’ Theatre 40 (link TBA) has announced its 2021-22 season:
As Good as Gold (Sept. 16 – Oct. 17), world premiere by Marilyn Anderson. Three female screenwriters, frustrated by the sexist obstacles they encounter in the film industry, hire a man to be their front. He soon becomes the toast of Hollywood.
Good People (Nov. 18 – Dec. 19), by David Lindsay-Abaire. Welcome to Southie, a Boston neighborhood where a night on the town means a few rounds of bingo… and where Margie Walsh has just been let go from another job.
Hilda’s Yard (Jan. 13 – Feb. 13, 2022), by Norm Foster. One ordinary family. One extraordinary day. Set in 1956, Sam and Hilda Fluck are finally on their own after their children leave the nest. Then their world changes when Gary loses his job and Janey leaves her husband.
Silent Sky (Mar. 17 – Apr. 17), by Lauren Gunderson. This true story of astronomer Henrietta Leavitt explores a woman’s place in society during the time of immense scientific discoveries, when women’s idea were dismissed until men claimed credit for them.
The Play’s the Thing (May 12 – June 12), adapted by P.G. Wodehouse. A young playwright overhears an actress that he is in love with talking passionately to another man. His friend tries to persuade him as she is rehearsing a play.
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Video: Jason Graae performs Sondheim’s “I’m Calm”/”Don’t Look at Me”
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Cris Franco’s 57 Chevy will run July 15 – Aug. 15 at San Diego Rep, directed by Jesse Perez.
Ric Salina (from Culture Class)
It’s 1964 and ten-year-old Junior is in crisis because his Old World Mexican dad is at it again. Five years ago he loaded his entire familia into his 1957 Chevy and moved them all from Mexico City to East LA. Today Dad is moving the family again, from their diverse East Side neighborhood to a new tract home in the middle-class and eerily homogenous San Fernando Valley.
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Hollywood’s Actors’ Co-op has announced two Conversations with Co-op:
Linda Kerns: Mon. July 26 at 7:30 PM PT.
Thomas James O’Leary: Mon. Aug. 23 at 7 PM PT.
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Video: “Andrea Bocelli: Believe” concert in Malta, currently available on PBS. (1:02:21)
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LA Theatre Works presents Steven Tobolowsky’s A Good Day at Auschwitz is now available.
Steven Tobolowsky and Alan Mandell.
The extraordinary true story of Abe, a man the playwright met at his synagogue. Abe was a fellow of great humor and heart who not only survived three years at Auschwitz – certainly the worst place on earth – but fell in love there. Abe’s life speaks to the resilience of the human spirit, renewal and hope, even when there seems to be none.
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Andrew Lloyd Webber has made it clear over the past several weeks that he intended to open his production of Cinderella with full capacity audiences. Just last week, he even threatened to sue the UK government if theatres were not allowed to open without social distancing.
Last week, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that the full re-opening of West End theatres has been delayed to July 19, but added a plan to work with Webber on a proposition to make the show’s previous plans work.
Now Webber has officially responded to the offer. “After a long week of government delay and confusion, I can confirm that I cannot and will not take part in yet another pilot scheme around the re-opening of theatres, as suggested by the Prime Minister on Monday. I have it crystal clear that I would be able to participate if other theatres were involved and the rest of the industry – theatre and music – were treated equally. This has not been confirmed to me.”
Webber goes on to explain that Cinderella will perform its first preview on June 25 as planned, at 50% capacity to prevent cast, crew, orchestra, and audiences from being fined for going against government mandate. “I could not look my young cast and crew in the eye to tell them we are delaying or closing down. So, I have made the decision to personally bear the losses until we fully open on – or hopefully before – July 19.
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LA’s Theatre West presents Fitting Out, a festival of short play readings streaming for FREE June 25 (after 5 PM PT) – June 27, all of which focus on LGBTQIA+ issues.
Dash Climbs a Rope, by James Still.
hYdration, by David Lipschutz
The Emporer’s New(er) Clothes, by John Mabey.
Some Sorta Queer, by Taylor Geu
Sundown Town, by Marcus Scott
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GRACE NOTES Quiz answers: You Gotta Know the Lingo
1. French scene – Section of a play between the entrance or exit of any character.
2. Tormentor – Hard vertical piece attached to a horizontal piece known as a teaser (often used to create a reduced size or “false” proscenium).
3. The gods – Highest balcony of a theatre (or, sometimes, a raised section at the back of the theatre on which patrons may stand to watch a performance).
4. Ghost light – Light bulb that is left burning onstage during periods when the stage is not in use (primarily for safety reasons, although some maintain it is for the benefit of the spirits that may inhabit the theatre).
5. Italian – Rehearsal at which the lines are said rapidly (thought to be an aid in memorization and in picking up cues promptly).
6. Sitzprobe – In musical theatre, a rehearsal of the score with singers and orchestra, at which the actors are seated (so as to concentrate on musical values without the distraction of movement).
7. Swing – Chorus member who covers many, or sometimes all, of the chorus parts and performs when the primary performer of that part is unable to go on.
8. Vomitorium – Passage from the stage that goes below a tier of seats.
9. Gobo – Stencil or template placed in front of a lighting source to control the shape of the beam emitted.
10. Passerelle – Walkway leading beyond the proscenium arch around the audience side of the orchestra pit.